The Return
by Secretly Immortal
Summary: "Every Dog Has His Day" went a little differently. For starters, the Titans were much too late. Beast Boy was never recovered. A decade is a lot of time to lose hope in, and it's been nearly a decade since the "incident" that changed everything. Can an imbittered shape shifter be shown reason? Probably not... but he finds it funny to watch them try...
1. Prologue: Down to Earth

**... L_L Do not own Teen Titans but... I do love them... Even though I'm technically 'too old' for cartoons now... Pfft, whatever that bullshit means! ;p**

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"Doggy..." His ears twitched at the sound of the name he'd grown so very used to over the years. _How long...?_ He shook his head slowly, letting out a soft sigh, but didn't open his eyes to look for the source of the call. He knew where they were, what was the point? And besides that, the tone was familiar to him, more so than even the name was. Curious, guilt-laden, apologetic. He'd heard it before, increasingly in the past year or so. He'd begun to speak of his home increasingly in the past year or so, so it honestly wasn't much of a surprise that the guilt had increased, or the apologies. "I-"

"I know." He did. He knew, he'd known for a long time just how sorry Soto was. He understood; he'd been young when it had happened, sure, but Soto had been younger by _far._ He hadn't known how wrong he was, how terrible a thing he had done until a few years later. But he'd enjoyed the time he'd spent with his 'pet' and hadn't quite felt the guilt so much as to wish to return his 'pet' to the place he belonged. He was selfish, as children often are.

"But... how can you... know?" He had to smile while Soto struggled for words; it was slight, but it was... really real, and that was rare for him these days. His humor had died a while ago, once he'd lost his home, his family. And it had been the third time he'd lost a family, and a home; this time had hurt the very worst, because they hadn't bothered to come and save him. He'd had years to think about that, brood on it, consider their reasoning, and in all those years he hadn't found a single reason why they should have just... given up, and let him go. He had been their friend, their brother, hadn't he?

_No, I'd been their doormat._

"I was a kid once, too," Once... a very long time ago, it seemed to him now. "Soto, you didn't know any better. I won't blame you for being a child; and aren't you righting your wrongs now?" He finally bothered to open his eyes, offering a fang-y grin as he nodded towards the front of the space craft, where the sight of trees flying past them was clearly visible.

"Still! I... I'm sorry..." Soto mumbled, hanging his large rock head, granite mouth turned down into a frown as his mountainous brow furrowed and his shoulders slumped.

"I know, Soto, I know," He stood from his soft cushion-bed, moving over towards the rock giant and enveloping him in a brief bear hug. He stopped when he heard the grinding of rock and Soto's slightly pained laugh. Smiling as he drew back, he patted the young rock giant on the shoulder, offering one of his signature, too-wide grins. "And just look around, huh! See all this green! Take a tree home with you, it'll be like having a silent me around all the time." Soto guffawed, as the panel in front of the wide glass of the front of the space craft started to beep, a small holographic covering the surface of the glass for a moment. A slowly blinking red dot in the middle of a grid lit up the side of Soto's face as he watched his 'pet' take a good long look at the screen.

_**Nearing destination.**_ The computer intoned, long, pointed ears perking up at the words. _**Estimated time of arrival, two minutes.**_

"... Will you miss me?" The question was low, almost undetectable, even to his powerful ears. His brows rose nearly into his hairline as he looked finally back up at the large rock giant, face shadowed as he turned his granite cheek to the 'pet'. Would he miss Soto?

_Would I really?_

He... wasn't sure. Soto had been a child, and sure, he'd been a _bit_ abusive at times, but once again, he was a _child _and children are harsh with breakable things, because they don't have that control, or that knowledge of the physical limits of the things they like to play with. When their toys break, they just _don't_ understand why, and they cry, and they scream and rage. When they do not get their way, the reaction is much the same. But, if he were honest, Soto had been good to him.

_So... will I miss Soto...?_

"Yes," The answer occurred to him rather quickly, and he offered a slight grin, not one of the too-wide ones that he flaunted for anyone and everyone; the ones he'd mastered as a child - this was a grin just for Soto. It was warm, and _real_, and it expressed everything he hadn't with just the one word answer.

"... Really?" He nodded now, and opened his arms wide, watching Soto while Soto stood silently watching him, until, with a slight grin of his own, Soto leaned down and pulled him into a hug of his own.

"I'll miss you, Doggy," Soto grumbled over his head, his arms shaking slightly - _with repressed tears, I'd be willing to bet._

"Hey, hey, Soto! No need for cryin-"

"I'm not!" Soto pushed him away then, rubbing at his face with the sleeve of his orange jumpsuit. "I'm not crying!" He pulled his arm away, only to glare at his 'pet' who was smiling at him, mirth shining in his green eyes.

"Whatever you say, _Master_," Soto managed a watery smile then, before turning away from the man, staring intently at the screen. He stepped closer, surprisingly deft fingers clicking away at the alien buttons of the control panel until the holographic blanked out, and the glass was clear. _And there it was._ The clearing they'd taken off from, the one that had, somehow, managed to stay clear of any trees through all the years since he'd last been there. The space craft came almost to a stop over it, hovering for a moment, before it began a slow descent to the ground. As the legs unfolded from the bottom of the metal space craft, Soto turned around, a remote in his hand, and clicked a single button on it. The small collar around the young man's neck beeped once, twice, and then quieted, the soft, familiar hum it had emitted for the whole of his years while wearing it quieting.

A low hiss issued forth from the device, and then, without reaching up and even checking to see what had been done, the collar fell from his neck in two pieces, clattering against the floor of the now grounded space craft. He was silent for a long minute, staring, unblinkingly, up at Soto, who stared back, waiting for a response. After a short eternity, he finally blinked and glanced down at the collar by his feet; over the years, Soto had changed the collar from the bulky one he'd first had, to the smaller - but no less deadly - one that was in pieces now. The size had been a nice adjustment, though, he could shift his neck easier, and it was less noticable, which was a plus - he felt more... or really, he felt _less_ of a pet, and more... _free._

_Free..._

The word echoed around in his head for a moment, and he wasn't sure he could quite comprehend what it meant. He crouched down, brows furrowed as he tried to puzzle through it. _Free..._ He picked the two pieces of the collar up in his hands, hesitating as he held them. When activated, any force he would exert on the collar past a certain level would cause it to shock him tremendously. It was so he could not escape with his own strength, but now... _Free. _He curled his fingers around the bits of high-tech metal, crushing them easily, and continued to exert force until his hands were shaking and his own claw-tipped fingers were digging into his palms. _Free._ He glanced back at the cushion he'd slept on as a child, reclined on now, as an adult. The platter next to it still had a few alien edibles he'd come to enjoy and he couldn't resist the urge to stand up and walk over, kicking the tray as hard as he could, denting the metal and sending it - and the... 'food' it held - flying across the space craft. The tray stuck into the metal of the wall it'd hit, and he didn't bother to apologize. But Soto didn't seem to mind, and besides all that... he was...

_FREE!_

He couldn't resist the urge to toss his head back and laugh now; it was a full-bodied, throaty laugh that brought tears to his eyes, which quickly poured, unchecked, down his cheeks, as he clutched his abdomen. When at last, he turned his teary gaze to the stoney-faced - no pun intended - rock giant still silently watching him he flew at the giant, wrapping his arms around Soto's thick neck and squeezing with all of his might, until Soto was wheezing for air.

"Doggy!... Doggy! Can't... breathe!"

"You've given me a gift Soto! For that, I shall always consider you my brother..." He loosened his hold on the now-motionless rock giant, closing his eyes against the stream of tears as he smiled.

"Doggy..." The tone was not one he was familiar with, not coming from the giant, at least. But he recognized it, all the same. Surprise. The wavering in his voice: tears. He was moved, and he soon returned the hug fiercely. When they finally withdrew from one another, it was with twin smiles adorning their faces. "Miss you..."

"Ditto," He punched the rock giant's shoulder playfully, walking backwards as his ex-master turned around and pressed a few more buttons. His steps slowed as he heard the hiss of hydraulics and felt the floor shifting under his feet. Once the movement had stopped, he began to walk backwards once more, until his bare feet were touching soft, green grass, and the scent of the forest was carried to him on a breeze. He closed his eyes and allowed his head to loll back on his neck, smile tilting up the corners of his lips as he lifted his arms and began to slowly spin. He felt giddy, filled with the scent of earth and forest.

_Earth. _

_Home. _

_FREE._

And without his noticing, he'd fallen back, lying in the grass, arms still outstretched, eyes still closed. He'd turned into a wolf in the next second, rubbing his face and body in the grass, trying to absorb the scent of nature into his being. He rolled over onto his belly, clawing at the ground until he'd pulled up some grass and exposed a nice spot of dirt, which he gladly stuck his snout into, inhaling the scent deeply, over, and over, over again. He yipped happily, before rubbing his furred cheek against the dirt. This quickly set off another round of rolling around on his back, legs outstretched as he clawed at the sky and stretched his body. It felt like he'd just woken from a long sleep, and though it hadn't been totally unpleasant, he had missed the waking world like he'd never known he would.

"Bye... Doggy..." Soto murmured with a sad smile as the hydraulics hissed again. The walkway retracted up into the ship, and with the hum of starting engines, he lifted off from the ground, never to see his dear pet again.

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**Yaaaay prologue! Wooo!... and I make no promises about updating, and no apologies for starting a NEW story in the middle of... like, ten others. And also, don't review just to say "ERMEHGERD, DON'T START A NEW STORY" because I will ignore you. I'm recovering from surgery, therefore, I don't give a shit. Thanks and have a nice day.**


	2. Chapter 1: Trust and Tales of Titans

**And I'm pretty sure this chapter is shorter than last chapter, but *gasps* wait! Look over there! Did you see it? Oh, no, you missed it! It was the last shit I gave, flying away. Damn, it was a really colorful one too, full of expletives. You would have like it, it spewed fire works and shit. Too bad it's gone. And now all that's left is bitter, ol' me. **

**But don't worry, I'll be less bitter once the stitches come out. OH, and I didn't edit this, by the by. Because of Jo's accent, it would be such a pain in my asshole to have spell checked this. So I didn't. Deal with it. **

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He hadn't been to the city in... he couldn't honestly recall how long it had been, he just knew that it had been quite a long time since he had last been here, in this place. Or any place of human origin, really. He was a bit behind the times now, wasn't he?... Oh well, he'd deal with it, get past it, and past everything else he might happen across, no big deal. If only he had some clothing, and it weren't raining, though; that would really help start things along the 'I got this' path he was attempting to travel. _At least,_ he thought to himself as he slowed his mild run down to an even more mild trot, shaking the water from his fur as he stopped underneath an overhang from a store front, _I don't have to walk around like everyone else._

And then he heard a squeal, and in the next second felt a small creature - perhaps a flea - beating at his flanks. Turning his head and cocking it in the same motion, he narrowed his eyes curiously to watch the woman that was batting at him with her purse. _...Why?_ He couldn't say, and he felt almost hurt by it, but at the same time it was funny in a sort of ironic way. This same thing had happened the very last time he'd been on earth; rejection for his colour. _How racist!_ He let out a rumbling, odd, growl sort of sound (his way of laughing at the situation), and the woman shrieked again before she turned tail and fled.

He licked his chops as he watched her run away, his animal side whispering in his ear, clawing at his more human sensibilities, trying to convince him to run after her. The thrill of the chase was always hard to escape these days, now that he was so very used to relying on his animal side. Being away from earth, humans, and the need to walk and talk like everyone else had stolen that from him four years earlier, when he'd been quite deep in his journey across the galaxy's out there. He supposed it had been... eight, maybe nine years that he'd been gone in total. It was inevitable that he would get lost out there eventually...

"Ehh, stupid bitch," a rough, heavily accented voice grumbled from behind him as he turned _back_ around. A man had somehow managed to sneak up behind him in the time he'd intently watched his potential prey run away. "'ey Dog, yoo're not a bad boy, eh?" The man had a five o' clock shadow that was slowly but surely becoming a bit of a twilight forest problem he should probably introduce to a razor - _Not that I'm one to talk or anything... _-, his hair was dark and slightly curly, and if the wolf's nose was telling it correctly, a bit unwashed. He wasn't very tall, but wasn't too short to be made fun of like _it_ had been a lifetime ago, and he was wearing a long, gray coat that fell almost to his knees. A dirty cap was pulled over his hair, though curls were poking out from underneath, and he didn't look clean or... really friendly.

But the wolf liked him. Immensely. With a yip and a nod of his head to show he understood, the wolf sat back on his haunches and tilted his head to the side curiously, watching the man with intelligent, dark green eyes. _Who are you?_

"Yoo're a smart one, iz dat it?" His laugh was just as rough as his voice - which grated on the senses, like rocks in a blender, a chain smoker with _generations_ under his belt - but his roguish grin was genuine; and a breath of fresh air. He yipped softly in agreement, his lips drawing back from his teeth in a fang-y grin. The man laughed again, reaching inside his coat and the breast pocket of his shirt. From it, he withdrew of pack of cigarettes. The wolf watched curiously as the man leaned against the brick of the the building they were both loitering at, opened the pack, and withdrew a cigarette and a lighter. He lit the end of the stick after he'd stuck it in his mouth, and with an inhale, a short, coughing laugh, and the return of his cigarettes to his breast pocket, he offered a not-so-toothy smile at the wolf and reached out a hand towards the creature.

The wolf tensed slightly, waiting for the man to try and pet him - _I'd like to SEE him try!_ - but the man did not. He just held his hand out, not too close to the wolf, but close enough that it would be a simple task for it to crane it's neck and sniff at the hand offered. He did so, taking in the scent of dirt, grim, unwashed flesh, and some undertone that was unfamiliar just as much as it was achingly familiar.

_Humanity did have a particular smell, though..._

"Yoo're not gonna bite me, eh?" The man chuckled as he withdrew his hand slowly, curling his fingers into a fist reflexively. This was not a dog, he could tell; more of a wild animal than anything, so he'd been going out on the limb - literally - with that little gesture; he was sort of surprised he hadn't lost a few fingers for it. "Yoo're a gud boy, t'en! Hah! Stupid bitch, neveh knew w'at she was missin', eh? Hah!" He trailed off into more insults aimed at the hit-and-run woman, while the wolf continued to watch silently. And then, he coughed again, pushed unsteadily off from the building - the wolf stood, watching expectantly when the man straightened up - and turned to make his way towards the nearest alley. "Yoo come wit' me, if yoor stomack rumbles! Hahah!" He coughed and hacked for a bit, and then turned the corner and disappeared into the alley.

The wolf followed after a few seconds of waiting, eyes unblinking, ears pricked up on top of his head. His tail twitched in a slight wag as he slowly walked towards the alley, turning the corner and finding the man standing there, twirling his lighter around his fingers, smoking. He grinned that brown-ish, broken-toothed smile at the wolf and nodded his head, almost giddily. The wolf's lips drew back from it's teeth in another fang-y grin, it's head dipping down in a nod of it's own as the man laughed, dropping his lighter into one of the coat pockets and reached over to ruffle the wolf's ears. This time, when the man pushed off from the wall, the wolf followed after him obediantly, and continued to do so until they were deep in the warehouse district of Jump City. The wolf paused then, glancing around, almost uneasily.

_Never liked it here... creepy ass place..._

"'ey boy, yoo not scardy cat, eh?" The wolf's head whipped around, lips drawing back in an insulted snarl at the insinuation. The man laughed and shook his head, thrusting his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket. "Come on, t'en!" He nodded sharply, and the wolf huffed, ears dropping down as a low, annoyed growl rumbled in his chest, but followed after. Eventually the man stopped the almost aimless walking through the warehouses, turning a few corners and stopping before a large, heavy metal door. It was a rust brown, whether coloured that way on purpose or through the years of wear wasn't immediately evident, but he stopped and gestured towards it with a flourish and a bow to the animal. "Iz not fancy shit, but it iz mine, hahah!" With a cough, the man put his shoulder to the door, grunted, and with some effort managed to push it open.

He gestured for the wolf to walk in, and when it did he walked in after, leaning back against the slightly ajar door and, grunting with effort once more, pushed it closed. The place smelled of rust, metal, ash, mildew, rats, and the man. It dripped, somewhere in a back corner, and though - the wolf could tell - it wasn't really the cleanest place, or the freshest smelling, it was definitely a place to keep out of the rain. And strangely enough, it seemed almost significantly warmer in here than it had outside. He sat back on his haunches after exploring around for a few moments, and waited for the man to walk past him. He did, and rummaged around in something; the smell of ash increased slightly, some even tickling the wolf's nose - he sneezed, the man laughed - and then there was light.

The man was sitting back on his legs, holding his hands out in front of him, where a small fire was blazing. The wolf stepped forward, into the firelight, and the man glanced at him, offering a small, broken-toothed smile. The wolf shook his fur out, water droplets sizzling as they hit the fire, and the man grunted something that was almost a complaint, but without the words to really accompany it. The wolf huffed, moving closer to the man, until his side was almost brushing against the man's, and then he laid down, head on his paws, eyes half lidded as they watched the fire.

"'ey," The wolf's head tilted slightly, eyes opening more so he could glance up at the man without lifting his head. "Yoo like hot dugs?" The man crawled over to an empty metal barrel, reaching inside and withdrawing an unopened pack of hot dogs. Water dripped off the package and the wolf's nose twitched, ears flicking. "'EY! Iz only a block uf ice! Ice melts." The wolf stood up slowly, walking over to where the man was, sticking his head in the barrel for a second to judge for himself. Indeed, a large, half-melted block of ice was in the back, were a few more packages of things that needed to be kept cool were sitting.

When the wolf withdrew it's head, it was with a growl-laugh. The man cracked a grin, reaching past the far side of the barrel and pulling out two thin, metal rods. He ripped the package open with his teeth, pulled out two and stuck them one on each rod, and then held them over the fire. He glanced at the wolf as it moved back over to the spot it had been at before, lying down once again to watch the flames, it's eyes occasionally flicking up to watch the hot dogs, until the man removed them from the fire. He swung the slightly smoking sausage over towards the wolf, who stood up with a small huff to step over and sniff it curiously.

When the wolf opened his mouth to take a bite of the meat, the man jerked it back with a quick laugh. The wolf growled lowly at the dirty trick, but the man shook his head with a grin.

"It waz in dat fire! Yoo wan' to burn yoor mouth?" The growl tapered off into a soft whine as the wolf ducked his head. The man only shook his head and laughed softly. "Just yoo wait, it goin' nowhere." The wolf laid down with a short huff, facing the hot dog, but with it's deep green eyes on the fire, until the man let out a low whistle, and when the wolf's head lifted from his paws, he nodded towards the hot dog. The wolf fell on it with abandon, and the man grinned. "I am Jo. And yoo, lil' friend, Ozcar."

The wolf snorted, but the man only laughed.

"Yoo like Ozcar, look!" He pointed to the hot dog, or what had been the hot dog, before 'Ozcar' had devoured it. The wolf huffed now, but dipped it's head in acknowledgement of the name. Jo grinned. In silence, he ate his own dog and then pulled out two more and began roasting them. As they cooked, the two stared silently at the flames, and out of nowhere Jo began to speak. "Yoo know, yoo're a gud boy, Ozcar. Yoo remind me of dat t'ing dat the Titans got wit' dem. He's green, like yoo. Snooty, too." Ozcar blinked, lifting his head from his paws to glance sharply at Jo. In the next moment he hefted himself up and padded closer to the man, sitting down nearer to him and cocking his head to listen as the man continued. "And yoo know, there waz a time, long time 'go, when dem Titans had a green one wit' dem. He vanished. T'ings are not the same." The wolf growled low in his throat as Jo paused, moving the hot dogs off of the fire and pulling them closer to blow on them.

_They... REPLACED ME._

"Everyone, they all wundered, 'W'at happened to dat lil' green one?' But yoo know, no one knows..." Jo's dark eyes met Ozcar's dark green eyes, and the man cocked one brow, the corner of his lips tugging up in an almost knowing smirk. "And, iz no pro'lem for dem. They super! Hah! And dat t'ing can... do some shit, yoo see!" He broke off to laugh, which eventually tapered off into a small bout of rattling coughs. "But t'ings are not the same. Neveh be. They withdrawn. Still come out uf dat tower, but iz rare. And they ain't such the friendly bunch, not to me!" He was smiling when he said it, thrusting a thumb towards his chest. He laughed, though, and lowered one of the rods down to Ozcar's level so he could munch on his second hot dog. In the short silence that followed, they both ate and repeated the process of watching two more dog's roast over the flames.

"They see me, people, like me, and dat's when they ain't so friendly, yoo see. They t'ink I'm filth. Vermin. Scum. I've got money! Not much, but it IZ mine. But dem? They t'ink I steal; some shit." He removed the dogs from the flames as he said it, but didn't look away from the fire this time. "They suspiscious. Not trusting." Ozcar growled.

_Not trustWORTHY._

"Yeah, yoo get it! Dem... they fuckers." Ozcar half expected one of those laughs that usually followed after most things that Jo said, but it never came. Ozcar growled again, snorting afterwards.

_Agreed._

"But, ehhh, w'at do I know, eh? Not'ing. But still more than dem. I know yoo, and they... they don' have dat." When Ozcar glanced over at Jo, it was only for a hot dog to be thrust in his face. "Eat, Ozcar. And t'en, yoo sleep. No more stories tonight, eh? Too late for dat shit."

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**And Jo... how to explain him... sometimes, a creeper-y looking stranger is actually a genuinely nice dude. Once shared a meal with a near-stranger. It was pretty pleasant. We talked about life, fate, religion, the future. Very nice. **

**Night all! ^w^**


	3. Chapter 2: Clues and Crazed Minds

**I'm totally supping Rae up. Full powers, and control, baby! XDDDD I'm sorry, I love badass chick characters. Or badass characters in general... Oh wait, retract that statement - I'm not sorry. And flames are not cool, so go ahead and watch Bambi and get back to me on that.**

_speech like this is shared thought/mental conversations, by the by... in case you got confuzzled_

**I wanna wish a late b-day for me - it was four days ago, for who care ^^ - and HAPPY NEW YEARS ADORING FANS! Was I the only person severely disappointed that the world didn't end in a zombie apocalypse...!? o_O'**

**I am also SOOOO sorry for mistakes, forgive me? I'm only human, but I'm working on that!... *if anyone gets the reference, many hugs will be given* **

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"I swear, it was _sooo_ gross!" Leopold's nose twitched, his brows drawn down in irritation as he _glared_ down at the pages in front of him. He was baffled as he took long glances at Raven; she sat ever stoic, sipping her tea as if she couldn't hear the annoyingly high-pitched voices directly behind her. And here he was, a good five feet from them, but the pitch was piercingly high - _how the hell are her ears not bleeding? _- and couldn't help but make him twitch in the oddest way. He fought a sudden urge to lash the girl with his tongue, found that it was already sliding out and over Raven's shoulder-

"Leo," The tone was that one she was so very infamous for; emotionless, flat, and yet, quite sharp. He flinched from her, pulling back his tongue until he looked like any other dog, wearing glasses on the tip of his snout and sitting up in a cafe chair, holding the pages of a book down on the table with one paw. The green fur gave him away for his alien origin, however, so people knew to steer clear. Or, as was quite popular considering his _'hero'_ status, he was smothered with attention. Either way, now he was docile-_looking_; not likely to scare the public.

"Pardon me, dear," Leopold bit out slowly, forcing a toothy - he hoped -, placating smile. "Has a mind of its own, _sometimes_."

"I'm sure," Raven smiled softly at him, shaking her head. "But maybe it should remember that there's a time and a place..."

"Quite right," Leopold gave her a bright, eye-crinkling smile. She rolled her eyes, turning back to her tea as he took a deep breath and focused back on his book. But, quite to his horror - and secretly, Raven's own rising dread - the girl continued on, even _louder_ than before.

"And, OH. MY. GAWD. It was green."

"Ewwwwww!"

"Yeah, ew. I almost died," Raven, coughed suddenly, tea dribbling down her chin. She slapped a hand to her face and pulled her hood up, hiding how she was chuckling now. _They're talking about Leo..._

"That isn't funny," Leo hissed at her. He could just detect the hint of a smile glittering back at him from the shadows cast by her hood. "You _know _I was watching movies with Cyborg yesterday."

"So you know any other green, gross creatures running around on four legs, that's furry and has sharp teeth?" Raven challenged; he growled softly in return, exposing said teeth.

"Do _you?!_" He didn't realize his mistake until about five seconds later when she had pulled her hood down and fixed him with a dark glare. "Whoa, hey, I-... Are... you OK, Raven? You are looking to be a bit paler than usual..." She didn't answer him; instead she just blinked away the rising shock - and dare she think, _panic_ - that had frozen her for a moment, standing from her seat and calmly walking around the short wall dividing the two tables.

"Excuse me, Miss...?"

"What do you want!" It wasn't even a question, more of a barely disguised, sneered demand. Raven's brow twitched - was her irritation quite evident yet? -, so she quickly pulled her hood back up and took a deep breath, looking at the girl with deadened eyes. _I could curse you..._ She mentally shook herself of the thought and spoke up once more.

"Yes, I was wondering about this attack of yours... What kind of creature was it that attacked you?"

"_Eww_, she was _eavesdropping..._" The other girl spat, seeming to think she was whispering.

"Pardon me, ma'am, I couldn't help but overhear your extremely loud yelling match and wished to ask a few friendly questions. But actually, you may now consider this official Titan business; so, SPEAK. UP." She flared her shadow (playfully), and the girls yelped, flinching. Five feet away, Leo read his book, ignoring the scene he was hoping no one noticed Raven causing. _He's family__._ He blinked, looking back up at Raven. She was staring steadily back at him, so he sighed, rolled his eyes, but nodded his consent. She turned back to the girl, currently stumbling over her words.

"_But is it him...?_" Raven didn't acknowledge that she'd heard him, and he didn't worry that she had.

"That isn't important," Raven interrupted the girl suddenly, smiling to herself when the girl jumped and flinched further. "Did it attack you?"

"W-well, it _totally_ tr-tried to lunge for me!"

"Oh?"

"Did you know I can smell lies? It's a certain stench... Like, fear, sweat... And some nasty musk..." Leopold looked over the top of his book, his beady eyes glittering expectantly.

"W-wha-"

"Stop messing with the girl, Leo," Raven sighed as she turned away. She could _sense_ lies, and the girl genuinely believed she'd been nearly mauled by a green baby bear. Which was highly unusual, considering they didn't usually have bears wandering around, not this time of year - or ever, usually - and besides that, NEVER green ones. Leo swore it wasn't him, and she _knew_ he wasn't lying. Perhaps if that _useless_ ditz had called animal control instead of provoking it...! It wasn't invading her personal space if she had searched the girl's mind, right? Because, she had been _very _gentle about it, and from what she'd seen... She sighed heavily, shaking away her thoughts. Just what she needed, a complicated report to fill out. "Come on, Leopold; we've got business to attend to."

"We haven't in the least!" Leopold protested, pawing his glasses off and closing his book with a flick of his other paw.

"But we _do_," She glanced over her shoulder at him; he flinched back from the sharp gaze, snarling a second later, but aimed it at his feet.

"What's this all about?" He demanded quietly/

"We need to do a bit of investigating. You remember when you first came here..." It wasn't a question, so much as a statement, but she let him figure it out on his own.

"I remember, what about it?"

"We're going hiking." She smiled to herself once more as a long, low groan drifted over her shoulder.

"Must we really? Can't we go and... not... do something quite that strenuous?"

"No." He huffed heavily at the short response, grumbling under his breath while Raven continued walking quickly ahead of him. He had to wonder if she was really as serious as she claimed she was being, until he noticed she was moving farther ahead and... _Damn_, her feet weren't touching the ground now. He inwardly sighed as he pushed his slow trot towards a faster-paced run, until he'd nearly caught up with her. At which point she shot forward; he barked, growling in his chest before he grinned to himself and took off after her. Damn her, but she DID know how to get him excited enough to take part in a chase.

_How very annoying she can be...  
_

"WILL YOU... SLOW DOWN!" Leo burst out between bouts of panting as he chased, tirelessly, after her. His only response was the distant sound of her laughter drifting back to his ears. He shook his head, saliva dripping from his tongue - it was trailing about five feet behind him - as he put on a burst of speed and settled comfortably into a an unnaturally fast sprint. Raven seemed quite content to leave him out of the loop. And it was his curse the he was quite content to sit back and enjoy the scenery. It was his duty; after he'd gotten their young one lost to the dregs of space (and Soto), he'd felt it _was_ his duty to stick by them while they grieved. And then an alarm had rung, but the first of many in the years that would follow, and sent him on a wild ride with the crew to save someone and such-and-such.

_Heroes_. He'd ended up in the company of _super heroes_, only, they were little more than children. At least the name _Teen Titans_ had fit them so well! And now, they were just the _Titans_, somehow the name had lost its sweet, innocent ring. They were older now, washed out, just like the name. No one had been the same after Leopold had unintentionally lost their friend, not even after he had slipped into that open role. He hadn't expected it to be, but he had hoped that maybe he could make it _okay_, not right - never right, he expected that was the one thing he could, WOULD never be able to do - but just okay. Because that was at least a step in the right direction.

* * *

"Anything?" Leopold drove his nose into the dirt, closing his eyes and concentrating. He opened his mouth and drew back, eyes opening as he turned to face her and deny her pleading eyes of hope. But there was something there as he drew back, something that stopped him and pulled him back in for another lungful the scent of the dirt.

"Actually... Yes!" He sounded more confused than surprised. "It's not something I've detected for..." His eyes rolled up as he tilted his head back and looked to the heavens. "A long time..." he muttered, brows furrowing over his dark eyes. "Raven, look!" He nodded towards the tree tops and she glanced up, taking in the sight of bent, broken branches. Leopold's head dropped and his narrowed eyes studied the scene with renewed interest. "And there, as well! Hah, I can't believe, but..." He trotted over and pawed at a circular impression in the ground' the area smelled strangely metallic, in an oddly familiar way.

"I'm right..." Her tone wasn't smug, merely factual. He shrugged, dipping his head to her.

"Quite right," He lifted his head and studied the patch of grass he'd been stuffing his nose into. Looking careful, he could tell that something - something with _claws_ - had disturbed the earth there, even if it hadn't been turned, or too terribly shifted. "Soto's vessel has been here and... well, he doesn't appear to have stayed, but he left something..." He walked closer towards her, poking her with his snout and gesturing towards the patch disturbed earth. "And it has claws, for sure."

"So it's him-"

"I _never_ said that! However... there is a strong possibility..."

"So it _is_ him," The tone was the closest she'd ever come to elation, and he couldn't find it in himself to say no. The scent he'd caught in the not-to-be-named vicinity of Beast Boy's old room was quite similar to the one barely clinging to the grass; hardly discernible from the thick, cloying stench of nature. But it _was_ there, and that's what was important.

"We'll have to report these findings to the rest of the team, but..."

"Of course we will; it would be wrong of us to not report our every breath to the boss man," And that was the closest she ever came to making jokes - other than her biting sarcasm. Leopold chuckled anyway and nodded.

"Care to give us a ride back this time?" The look he gave her was sharp, hardly one to argue with. She only smiled slightly and nodded. When they had both been absorbed by the darkness of her preferred raven form of travel, he broke into the intense mental conversation he'd been waiting to have with her.

"**So tell me, dear,**" he drawled at her. "**What's got you so riled?**"

"_**Regrets,**_" Her voice came from everywhere and nowhere around him. He nodded sagely, however, as if her summing up every point of emotion within her with the single word was enough to him to understand and sympathize with.

"**You've got too many to bother with, why not give them all up?**"

"_**That seems like taking the easy way out, don't you think?**_"

"**No, not really. You've lived a long life in short years. You, my dear, have suffered far too many hardships as it is. What is it, really, to give up on them and forget?**"

"_**I'm not owed the luxury,**_" Leopold's sigh echoed strangely back at him in the darkness. And then he was enveloped in light. He yelped and ducked his head, slamming his paws over his head to obscure the light trying to sear through his eyes.

"You are stubborn, you know that, dear? You're one of those people that will live forever, simply because you refuse to die!" He removed his paws, blinking in the light and turning with just enough time to watch Raven's shadow settle. She pulled her hood back, revealing the secretive smile she reserved for the company of _only_ the Titans. Her family.

"I aim to please,"

"You missed," Leo deadpanned as he walked away from her, simply choosing to slide his body through the crack of space where the door met the floor. _Oh, and Raven..._ The thought was projected at her, but with raised brows she connected to Leo and prodded his mind, letting him know she was listening. _Perhaps don't scare the public with your shadow... even if it IS just a playful spike_

"I'll keep that in mind..." Raven muttered under her breath, phasing through the floor and into the living room. She let out a soft, content sigh before she drifted over to the couch. She glanced around quickly before throwing herself onto it, smiling to herself as she stretched out tired muscles. She somehow felt very warn with the news of the day. She should be excited - logically, it would make much sense were she to feel some sense of true happiness and anxious excitement. But logic had a way of avoiding her - here she was a half demon, super hero, that had saved the world - after destroying it - with the help of a boy in tights, a prototype android, and two aliens. _Logic is NOT my friend in the least._ In fact, logic just plain hated her. It laughed in the face of her wrath, which had sent a few good many people to looney bins.

Where, logically, she should have ended up in years ago, having said such statements before. She'd had to say it aloud, to make sure it didn't sound as crazy as it was. Sadly, it had sounded crazier. She shrugged and smiled, rolling her eyes at the voices in her head - oh yeah, voices in her head, but that was part of being a half-demon. So she wasn't going to go with logic, because she didn't feel anxious excitement, like she logically should have; she just felt anxious, almost nauseous. Somehow, the fact that _he_ might just be back was highly unsettling... _But hey, maybe I'm crazy._

"Oh, how I can only hope," she muttered to herself as she pushed herself up and slowly shook her head. She took a deep, calming breath, and when she opened her eyes, the pillows around her were already backing in their places, and everything was once more peaceful. It looked untouched, _clean_.

"Raven!" The exuberant tone was familiar, and she plastered on Star's favorite small smile and turned around to allow the woman to embrace her. Raven had hardly seemed to grow compared to the alien. She'd kept her hair straight, and would just allow it to reach down to her collar bone, while in comparison Starfire's was thick and rolling in waves down her back. "Little-big sister, you have returned! Is Leopold back as well?" Somehow, though she felt older than Starfire, Starfire still managed to end up nearly a foot taller than her. It was something the alien, unfortunately, adored teasing Raven about.

"Probably organizing his sock drawer," She shrugged with a roll of her eyes. "Could you... put me down now?" Starfire gave her a sheepish smile, uncurling her arms from around the shorter woman and stepping back so she give Raven a bit more space. "Thank you." She moved away from Starfire, towards the kitchen to begin making tea. "Have you seen the boys?" Starfire drifted slowly over, taking her time to respond as she bent over, leaning her forearms against the counter as she regarded Raven.

"I haven't been looking for them, should I have-"

"No! No, it's nothing really I just... We might need to call them up." Starfire gave her a confused look and Raven sighed, looking down at the cup sitting on the counter. She took it up in the next moment, sipping on the piping-hot liquid it held. _Dear tea, please give me the answers._

"Whatever for?" She paused, taking another sip, before she looked up to Starfire, steeling herself for this. _Maybe something stronger than tea would have been the proper choice..._

"Beast Boy may have... come back." Starfire's eyes grew wide and with a delicate 'Oh!' her mouth dropped open and she stared at Raven like that, while the woman sipped on her hot tea.

"Oh... kay." She could watch as Starfire's brain rebooted; her eyes brightened and she blinked away that shock. "OK. Ohhhkay. Alright. I should probably retrieve the others now."

"Probably, prob-ab-ly," Raven nodded sagely.

"To tell them the news," Starfire continued, although she wasn't moving from her spot, and he done little more than realize her mouth was hanging open.

"Yeah..."

"About the return of our dear friend..."

"Beast Boy. Yes. Do that... NOW." She snapped her fingers a few times and Starfire _finally_ shook herself of her stupor. She blushed briefly, ducking her head and nodding before she turned and flew out of the room, leaving Raven to her tea. "Hmmm, definitely should have had something stronger." she murmured into the brew, before taking another sip and going to sit at the kitchen table, procuring a book from the confines of her cloak and opening it up, reading from a random page to help her wait out the arrival of all hell. Which would break loose once she delivered the news. _Joy._

* * *

**Be kind, rewind folks! To the first AN... carefully read Bambi statement... yes, oui, si, understood? Tres bien! **

**So here's what's up, yes, Raven is a bit more emotionally expressive, and also has her full range of power and is secretly badass but also sorta wah-wah; allow me to explain - in suppressing her emotions, she controls her powers, in understanding and knowing and using her emotions, she's understand, knowing, and using the full extent of her power. By allowing herself to feel, but also remaining precisely controlled, she's actually working to her own benefit... **

**yeah, that's that five second excuse I made up just now. B/c I have trouble with TOTALLY emotionless characters - despite I'm doing research into personality disorders that deal with affectless individuals. Also, come ON, they are in their twenties now, I think she would be stronger than a mo' fo' now... and I'm a total Rae-fangirl. Cannot be helped, not sorry 'bout it.**

**ONE LAST SUPER IMPORTANT THING: Ummm, can I hear a rammstein hallelujah song for Once Upon a Time? My new fav show... only because I'm almost explicitly sure Regina and Emma are gay for each other... And I'm an Evil Regal like nobody's business, but... OKAY, THAT IS ALL, you may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.**


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